May 29, 2002

Police Crackdown on dancing in 'non nightcubs' near PNU -
May 29 update - We visited the Geumjeong-gu police station Tuesday afternoon and spoke at length with officers involved in the recent ticketing of PNU bars. Stay tuned for the Korean language audio and a basic English summary of what was discussed.
To briefly summarize, the police insist that there is no 'targeting' of foreigner clubs involved and no relationship to the upcoming World Cup. Rather their attention has been drawn to code violations by neighbors and publicly audible noise. Also, after recent drug related arrests in the area, they became aware of these other code related violations, and began searching the area for clubs that were doing the same. Unless an establishment is licensed as a 'nightclub', it are considered a 'restaurant' and prohibited by law from allowing dancing. Music is allowed, but efforts must be made to sound proof the building so that noise is not audible outside. Live musical performances are allowed, but only by paid groups of 5 members or less. While they say that foreign patrons are not a factor, they do acknowledge that there are some cultural differences involved. Korea is primarily a 'singing culture' whereas Westerners are much more inclined to dance than sing. They say that currently, it is unusual to find a bar with primarily Korean patrons where dancing is taking place. They are concerned that unless they crackdown now, this practice may spread to more bars.
When asked if any 'payoffs' from nightclub owners or others were involved, they acknowledged that this had been a problem in the past, but was not a factor now. When asked if there was anything else they wanted foreigners to know, they responded that part of their job is to make foreigners feel safe and comfortable here and that although language differences are a problem, they hope foreigners will understand that the police are in charge of enforcing Korean law.
We hope to get a more in depth translation of our discussion online this weekend. In the meantime, if you'd like to check out the actual text of Korean law (in Korean), visit http://www.lawkorea.com/ We were unable to register using a foreign alien registration ID, but Koreans can do so with little problem.

May 21 We have spoken to someone at the Geumjeong-gu police station and confirmed that tickets were issued to the owners of at least two PNU bars this past weekend for violating the terms of their business licenses. The police said that photos were taken to provide documentation of events. They also mentioned one foreign bar patron who tossed a lit cigarette at one officer. There are a lot of theories and rumors flying around town, but we will wait to comment on any of them until we can provide reliable confirmed information. We plan to speak with law enforcement officials in person on Thursday (May 23), so if you have any comments or questions you'd like us to forward, please send them to [email protected]. Stay Tuned.

May 19 - We don't have all the facts on this one, but we do know that police entered several popular nightspots near PNU this weekend, issued tickets to the owners and reminded them (and patrons) that dancing is not allowed in those establishments. According to sources (but as yet unconfirmed), dancing is only permitted in establishments that are licensed as 'nightcubs' and located more than 1km from a university. Nightclubs generally require pricey 'table fees' and/or cover charges. These popular nightspots near PNU tend to be more casual, low cost kinds of place (part of the reason they are popular with expats).
What are the exact details of the law? Why have the police decided to act now? We don't know but will send our Pweb investigative team in pursuit of answers. If anyone out there has hard facts, please send them to [email protected]. We especially welcome comments from any legal authorities or representatives of Busan law enforcement.

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